Now that I am on the verge of going to choose our puppy. I was wondering to what extent will puppy destroy the house?

Is he/she going to chew the legs of the cherry wood tables? Scratch the leather dining room chairs? Chew the kids shoes that lie around? Attack the stuffed toys! lol

What has your dog destroyed? :eek:

TobsterMom

October 14th, 2005, 01:07 PM

Toby destroyed our front veranda....yep....every piece of lattice around the bottom, most of the spindles, and a good portion of the steps.

He would also lay quietly under the dining room table and chew at the rungs on the bottom of the chairs. When you would look under the table he would stop and innocently look at you with the "It couldn't possibly have been me" look.

Many shoes, a Batman figurine, socks, a brand new bra, and every toy he's ever owned.

He also ate the feet and half the face off of my sons security bear, PT....but that's another story :sad:

So good luck! :thumbs up

Trinitie

October 14th, 2005, 01:18 PM

Puppy proofing can be very hard, especially if you have beautiful furniture.

You new puppy will chew ANYTHING and EVERYTHING you allow him/her to chew. If you're supervising your puppy at all times, it should be fairly easy to monitor it's chewing habits. Provide lots of toys and treats for him/her to chew and every time he/she starts to chew something you don't want, tell them NO and give him/her an approved chew. PRAISE PRAISE PRAISE when they chew the right thing!

I'm very lucky, my pup doesn't chew anything she's not allowed. Then again, she's velcro dog and only chews things left on her blanket (which involves anything she drags there). She's TRIED chewing on my shoes, her foot wiping towel (which is now in tatters), my slippers, my underwear, socks, towels, mats, sheets (while on the bed), sheets (while in the hamper), and anything else she can wrap her lips around.

BUT, you'll find they drag it out so you can see it! After a while it just becomes a game to them. An attention getter, so to speak.

Dogastrophe

October 14th, 2005, 01:38 PM

Between Lucy and Jack we have either lost or have had damaged:

living room chair (completely destroyed)
several pieces of door casing / mouldings (completely destroyed)
back of a shoe (repaired)
slippers (completely destroyed)
two duvet covers (zipper on one, hole in another)
towels (holes in them)
part of a stair bannister (chew marks)
edge of a kitchen cupboard (chew marks)
deck boards (chew marks around all knots)
trees / shrubs (essential pruning)
area rug (all four corners)
hole in bed matress (repaired, but matress can never be flipped again)

I'm certain that I'm missing some items. This is in addition to the multiple "powerful chewer" nylabones and chew toys that have been bought and destroyed.

jjgeonerd

October 14th, 2005, 01:46 PM

Gabby destroyed a couple throw pillows and a roll or two of toilet paper. She also ate one of my wife's shoes. That was about it. I think we lucked out.

She used to do "drive by chewing" on almost everything. She would just take a quick bit of the table leg, chair leg, etc. as she walked by. She eventually got over this.

However...she has always had plenty of chew toys around (usually Nylabones) and chews them constantly.

He hasnt ruined any furniture. Oh except for the futon he suddenly decided to pee on. He doesn't chew anything up anymore except for his personal weekness: Stuffed animals. He is very meticulous with stuffed animals. He opens a small slit along a seem and pulls all stuffing out but doesnt rip up the whole animal.

He loves to this day any kleenex left around especially used napkins.
Other then that he's gotten over the rest of the stuff.

Ahh puppies..... gotta love em

Dog Mom

October 14th, 2005, 02:02 PM

Ours are quite the active chewers as well
- ate the corner of our brand new leather couch
- a comforter/sheets
- clothing/undies/shoes
- stuffed toys ( our back yard is like a killing ground for toys)
- part of a wall

but I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world :thumbs up

cpietra16

October 14th, 2005, 02:17 PM

Winnie, my sweet lab :angel: made herself a doggie door :eek: . We drove up the strret and there she was. Wewondered how and/or who could have let her out :mad: Yep..!! now she goes with us everywhere.

BeagleMum

October 14th, 2005, 02:23 PM

Spencer & Sydney have:

Chewed the door frame in the bathroom & scratched the wall,
Peed on the carpets
Pooped on the carpets (good thing for steam cleaners)
Chewed the back step
Chewed the chair in the back yard
Killed a plant
Chewed the coffee table
Chewed the step in the house to go upstairs
Chewed my watch
Chewed the blinds in the livingroom
Eaten bills off of the counter (Hydro, Phone, etc)
Destroyed many toys
Ate my slippers
Ate the heels out of my socks
Put holes in my underwear
Chewed my sandals (2 pairs)
Just this week - Ate my lilac bush. I will have to post a picture of that one.

And I thought that my house was puppy proof.

Puppyluv

October 14th, 2005, 03:10 PM

The day I got Layla, she ate my best friend's brand new Jimmy Choos that she got for her birthday :eek:
All of the following are from when I didn't crate her when I went out (because my neighbour always complained that she barked, and I thought she was doing it when she was crated, but then I recorded her for a while, and my neighbour was full of it, but I digress)
My favorite bra
ipod charger
printer cable (which is no longer manufactured, and thus I had to buy a new laser printer :evil: )
panasonic headphones
telephone wire
straps from 3 pairs of shoes
shoelaces and the holes for the shoelaces from 3 pairs of shoes (making the shoes useless)
She scratched the bejesus out of my drywall by my door
She scratched the bejesus out of my front, all wood door
She jumped over a 4.5 foot wall, knocking over and breaking 4 glasses, 3 plates and a blender (Fortunately she came out of that entirely unscathed)
No plant could survive in my appt, because she HAD to have the dirt from the pot
4 woven baskets/boxes (to hold hats etc)
My recycling bin (on recycling day you can see my lovely box, which is covered in chew marks)
My donkey pencil holder (which im looking at right now, it;s this plastic donkey with baskets that hold your pens. It is now missing its feet, ears and tail)
The straps from 2 purses
The strap from my gym bag
Every single box of kleenex I have ever bought

Essentially she LOVES straps, shoelaces, wires, etc.
I was fortunate enough that she is not a furniture eater, I have seen sooo many tables end up on the curb because dogs eat the legs off.
Now that Layla is crated when I leave, she hasn't eaten a thing.

Rottielover

October 14th, 2005, 03:32 PM

Oh lets see, lets start with a whole brand new couch, one cushion at a time. Then I have a wood fence half chewed, back door...
Thank god he is 90% out of that phase

Prin

October 14th, 2005, 03:37 PM

Boo was a destructive bugger when we first got him because of separation anxiety. He killed:
- my favorite dressy sandals
- 2 brand new bras
- the whole satellite wire...
- the tv remote (we only found a couple pieces)
- a bulk pack of soap
- my bf's cell phone and wallet (the bf was asleep on the floor in front of the tube and Boo ate whatever fell out of his pocket)
- every table leg in our house and every house we ever visited (don't tell the table owners though...)
- my homework (he's a paper shredder)
- the thumbs off all our gloves (opposable thumb envy, I guess)
- my bf's childhood stuffed tiger (I never put my childhood penguin at risk, so he's ok)
- the garbage (whenever there were coffee grinds in it)
- socks, socks and more socks
(that's all I can remember about Boo for now)

Jemma ate a whole dining set. She was left alone for a minimum of 12 hours a day with her previous owner and managed to rip apart the whole set and the chairs. (I would have too)

There will be a lot of trouble with a puppy. No matter how prepared you are to stop their chewing, they will surprise you. :evil:

.unknown.

October 14th, 2005, 04:12 PM

Don't ever underestimate the power of puppy teeth and the desire to chew, chew, and chew soem more!

I bought a few rough gemstone type rocks from a souvinereshopp in BC They were kept in a tiny velvet bag which i left on the edge of a table one day. when i got home, i found the rocks all in a scatter on the floor and that a boistrous a head shake of the bag had launched a couple of the rocks at my patio window -- which shattered.

the majority of the damages were incurred when she was really teeny, and just recently when i got sick and was home for a few weeks. When i returned to work she was bored/stressed...

doggy lover

October 14th, 2005, 04:28 PM

Oh I'm glad I'm not the only one with a bad dog!
Lets see
-toys
-carpets
-trim work
-chairs, couch
-2 mattrises
-dry wall
-croch out of my pj's
-other clothing, socks etc.
-blankets
-plants
-cats bed and the list goes on

Prin

October 14th, 2005, 04:33 PM

-croch out of my pj's
That's not fair! Here he is trying his best to make your life easier and you don't even appreciate that. :D

doggy lover

October 14th, 2005, 04:36 PM

Yeah I wouldn't have to pull them down to go pee. LOL These dogs are lucky that we are forgiving parents or the shelter would have a few more, wow thats alot of stuff ruined. My last dog Travis was an :angel: compaired to these guys, he only got into a few things of little importance.

Beaglemom

October 14th, 2005, 04:49 PM

Why do dogs like the crotches of clothes so much? That seems to be the one place that dogs love to rip apart!

Misty, our beagle, was quite the chewer when she was a pup. She destroyed many pairs of socks, chewed the crotch out of a lot of underwear, throw cushions, crates, wooden custom made aquarium stand, many stuffed animals, etc. The list goes on. One thing she never chewed on was shoes! For some reason, she didn't care much for them. She did destroy many toys. She would go through many chew toys, she would destroy them within hours!

Blacky, our cockapoo, chewed shoes, the post on my mom's bed, a chair leg and my school uniform kilt's leather strap! Had to get that fixed, otherwise it would just keep falling!

All our other dogs never chewed or destroyed anything. Some dogs are not chewers, they are the minority though!

gomez

October 14th, 2005, 05:21 PM

the wire of the cable tv that is attached to the baseboard - and painted over...

all soft toys...

rivers

October 14th, 2005, 08:25 PM

oh, boy! I am in for a surprise then! I don't mind the clothes or inexpensive stuff, but I hope puppy doesn't sink its teeth into the new dining room furniture and tables! The kids will have to learn fast about picking their toys up off the floor...and hubby to put his shoes away.

Hey, maybe this is not so bad, at least I won't have to nag anymore, puppy can teach them! :D

db7

October 14th, 2005, 08:41 PM

NOTHING!

(yep, this is a little brag :thumbs up )

doggy lover

October 14th, 2005, 08:45 PM

db7 this ones for you :p

coppperbelle

October 14th, 2005, 09:11 PM

Six remote controls, two very expensive cordless telephones, the keyboard off my laptop and tons and tons of other little things.

Puppyluv

October 14th, 2005, 09:40 PM

The kids will have to learn fast about picking their toys up off the floor...and hubby to put his shoes away.

Hey, maybe this is not so bad, at least I won't have to nag anymore, puppy can teach them! :D
Ohhh the shoes... my mom is a shoe fanatic, it's the one thing she willingly overpays for. She kept a running total of the cost of the shoes that were destroyed by the family dog. She gave up counting at $8500
Just a tip; be careful with anything "stinky" That means shoes, socks, undies, pant crotches, athletic clothes, used kleenexes, and worst of all, monthly washroom garbage. :yuck:

Prin

October 14th, 2005, 10:04 PM

You forgot coffee grinds! ;)

Puppyluv

October 14th, 2005, 10:05 PM

eww yes, day-old coffee grinds :yuck:

JJC

October 14th, 2005, 10:08 PM

Oh, I'm so happy to see this topic. Not that I'm happy about dogs chewing up your things, but to see I'm not the only one. From some of these replies I guess I should consider myself lucky. So far that is. Tosa did develop a taste for drywall though which was the worst so far. Among other things such as:

Two throw rugs.
Three holes in the drywall.
Chapstick.
Laces off of two pair of shoes.
Decorative moss out of fake plant.
Any blanket she sleeps on.
Anything in the bathroom waste basket.
Multiple plants in the back yard.
Door jamb.
Any soft toy has a short life in this house.

That's it so far but she is just now starting to spend the days out of her crate while I'm at work so I'm sure it's just the beginning. ;) I guess I'm lucky she hasn't attacked any furniture....yet. Oh, I can't wait! :rolleyes:

Prin

October 14th, 2005, 10:11 PM

Now you know why there are so many dogs in shelters that are between 4 months and 1.5 years... People are surprised when their puppy starts chewing. Imagine how many puppies would have forever homes if every puppy-buyer was aware of all the chewing before buying?

Joey.E.CockersMommy

October 14th, 2005, 11:25 PM

Joey has
bitten the head off of Buzz light year
the leg off of batman
the arm of off spiderman

he steals the kids stuffies too, I wonder what he has in store for them
I am always rescuing them for my kids.

Prin

October 14th, 2005, 11:27 PM

There's gonna be some crying because of Joey! :eek:

sjat24

October 15th, 2005, 01:09 AM

So far Raven has peed on the carpets and I just found out she loves toilet paper. The other day I was on the pc and here she is with toilet paper hanging from her mouth and it was still attacht to the roll from out bathroom all the way down the hall.
But I say so far so good!

Shaykeija

October 15th, 2005, 11:58 PM

Lets see, what did Akeija destroy? My house... she ate her own entrance out of the wall, chewed a floor up, ate a couch, all my shoes, 2 leather coats, 1 fur coat,(not mine but a friend of mines when she was doggy sitting) a mercedes benz..did over $20K damage to the inside of the car,,DUMB boyfriend left her in the car while he ran a errand. Chewed my stairs right up the middle. These first 2 years were a challenge. After she out grew the chewing she was a great dog. I lost her 3 years ago at the age of 15.5 years of age. I still have hew chew toys on my desk..Ya know I still miss her..

kayla

October 16th, 2005, 11:31 AM

I'm happy to say Kayla has never really been a chewer. She did go at the outside brick wall when she was just a couple months old, she had a weird thing about eating rocks and cement and things like that, but never chewed any furniture. She loved ripping the stuffing out of toys and leaving it all over the place but I gave these to her so it was ok, I would just restuff, sew up, and let her do it all over again. I'm feeling very lucky after reading some of these threads! :eek:

When my chocolate lab nephew visits in the summer he usually manages to ruin my lawn - even if I do take him for walks. It seems back to normal now though - after much weeding and feeding and mowing (I bought myself one of those sit down mowers, lol), it looks OK. I always have doggie toys and treats tho so can think of nothing else ruined.

Now when I had a beagle, lol - that was another matter! As a puppy, he would eat steak if I was not fast enuf in putting it away. I cab;t recall my poodle ruining anything - tho he did scratch at the door to get in at my grandparent's house (he had the back yard to himself and lots of supervision but would still scratch). treating pets like small children, my grandparents just installed an aluminun door on the outside so if he scratched, who cared!

twodogsandacat

October 16th, 2005, 08:47 PM

In his first year - usually after escaping crate.

· Two custom seat cushions for antique steel lawn chairs - $200
· Small hole in carpet in the absolute worse location (could not be patched) - $3000
· Two rear armrests in the Trooper (Alison had said he was being too quite back there) - $30 from wreckers
· One shoe - replaced as a pair - $175
· One shoe replaced as pair - $65
· One bed cover - $500
· An assortment of other smaller items

Puppies may be fun but I think I'll rescue adult non-teething dogs from now on.

LoNScamp

October 16th, 2005, 09:01 PM

Only the grass in the backyard, she doesn't pee on it. When she runs and plays on it when it is damp she turns it to mud. Replacing the grass in the backyard has been part of my spring clean-up ritual for the last 13 years. The lawn is now about 2 inches higher than the walkway.

CyberKitten

October 17th, 2005, 01:34 AM

Ohhh shoes!! I forgot - my beagle chewed several pairs. But my dad is fond of asking me if I am opneing a shoe store so it was not a big deal, lol

jessi76

October 17th, 2005, 09:53 AM

Tucker has been fairly good, but so far he...

ate my good (and only) black heels
a few rolls of TP
destroyed the insoles of my bf's boots
destroyed every toy he has
chewed the base of one entertainment center

and most recently, the handle of a 13" kitchen knife - this one scared the hell outa me... we now know he can reach the counter.

Luvmypit

October 17th, 2005, 11:36 AM

Eaten bills off of the counter (Hydro, Phone, etc)

LOL I can hear you on the phone now... No seriously my dog really did eat it!

My 4 yr old has destroyed our mini blinds many times. Just gotta to see what's outside. :p Only chews on his monkey, balls and bones.

Prin

October 18th, 2005, 12:06 AM

Getting sweet doggy kisses: Priceless
I was waiting for that... :)

My 4 yr old has destroyed our mini blinds many times. Just gotta to see what's outside. Only chews on his monkey, balls and bones.If you get him fixed he'll stop doing that...

shannonRN

October 18th, 2005, 02:29 AM

If you get him fixed he'll stop doing that...
OMG ROFLMAO--that pic was SO uncalled for!!!! Where the heck did you find it?

doggy lover

October 18th, 2005, 06:44 PM

That pic is just too funny.

Prin

October 19th, 2005, 01:14 AM

Somebody posted that a couple of months ago in the pic forum under the title "Always neuter your pets" or something like that. :D I sent it to everybody I know. :evil:

Cinnabear

October 19th, 2005, 01:29 AM

Prin, your too funny. :p

doggirl

October 19th, 2005, 04:56 PM

Just remember the rule of thumb for puppies who are destroying things.

Every time you find that he's chewed or destroyed something, get a good sized piece of newspaper, roll it up really tight, and SMACK yourself on the wrist for not properly supervising him. Chewing is a normal behavior from pretty much 6 weeks up to sometimes 2+ years. :)